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Richard III died in 'violent humiliation,' had unpleasant burial

Arden Dier, Newser
10:48 a.m. EDT May 24, 2013

The long lost remains of England's King Richard III, missing for 500 years, are at the center of a conflict between the town where they were found and the town where the king spent much of his childhood.(Photo: University of Leicester, AP)

If you thought being found buried under a parking lot was about as unroyal as it could get for King Richard III, think again. In a paper published today in Antiquity, researchers describe his body as being buried in haste, crammed into a too-small grave that was roughly dug (at the time, a proper grave would have had straight walls, not sloping ones). Further indications that the dead king was treated with little respect: He was found in a somewhat folded position with no death shroud, and his hands may have been bound, reports Smithsonian. (The BBC tempers the finding by noting the University of Leicester researchers did acknowledge the treatment could have been the result of harried gravediggers.)

The condition isn't surprising given that he was killed in battle during the War of the Roses, but it does add to his legend; the story goes that his naked body was carried by horse, and laughed at by spectators en route to his grave. The paper also reveals that it's likely his body was battered after his death: There were 10 wounds—including stabs to his back and buttocks—in addition to blows to his head. The bottom line, per Smithsonian? The new findings further indicate Richard III died in "violent humiliation." (Meanwhile, the feud continues over where the body should be reburied.)

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